Chapter 5/ Developing a Global Vision

Vans markets it's products to youth all around the world through events and activities that draw to fans. The company describes itself as a "Leading Core Sports and Lifestyle Brand Worldwide." Events like these draw youth crowds to the brand and help build global youth appeal to Vans. The following is what Vans described as it's strategy toward it's global market:

	•		We own, produce and sponsor Core Sports events and contests such as the VANS Triple Crown Series.
	•		We sponsor approximately 600 world class male and female Core Sports athletes to reinforce our brand as an authentic element of Core Sports.
	•		We create and operate entertainment venues such as our skateparks and our VANS High Cascade Snowboard Camp.
	•		We create unique brand building content such as the VANS Warped Tour and the movie Dogtown and Z-Boys to reinforce the authenticity of our brand and to further define it.
	•		We develop key relationships to further enhance our brand and our business such as our joint venture with Pacific Sunwear, sponsorship agreements for the VANS Triple Crown Series with other leading brands, including Mountain Dew, G-Shock, Microsoft/Xbox, Ford Ranger, Gillette, and TransWorld Media and media alliances with NBC Sports and Fox Sports Net for the broadcast of the VANS Triple Crown Series and other Core Sports events.
	•		We advertise and promote the VANS brand and Core Sports image through targeted advertising campaigns on television networks such as NBC, MTV, and Fox Sports Net , as well as in magazines such as TransWorld SKATEboarding, Thrasher, TransWorld SNOWboarding, Rolling Stone, Source, Maxim, Seventeen and Teen People.
	•		We market our products and brand image online at www.vans.com, which includes multimedia content along with our online store.
	•		We operate 97 full-price stores where our full footwear line is displayed.

Chapter 4/ The Marketing Environment

Vans if nothing else, caters to the youth culture. It especially caters to teenagers.



Events like the Vans Warped Tour features bands teenagers adore like "Panic at the Disco" and "Blink-182". The tour is featured on Fuse, a major music channel. Vans puts ads of their tour in magazines like The Skateboarding Magazine. Bands featured on the tour invite their teenage fans to come out and see them at the tour on their official website.



Vans makes apps for iTunes such as House of Vans and Vans Hub to market to teens who are addicted to their iPhones. House of Vans is an app that allows the user to check out their favorite Vans shoes and directs them to stores where they could buy those shoes.



Vans has made many skateparks over the years to motivate teens to the brand and to skateboard at their parks.



Vans lets shoppers customize their shoes online with Vans customs. It attracts teens who want to be creative and stand out by making their own custom shoes online.



Teens can access Vans pages on Facebook and Twitter.

Chapter 3/ Ethics & Social Responsibility

Vans is known not only for it's classic sklateboarding shoes but it's wildy popular surfing shoes. Vans does it's best to make it's surfing line of shoes Eco-friendly.

Surfing shoes such as these are designed to care about the enviornment:


Van PET Canvas Raglan

PET Canvas SRPLS

Hemp E-Street

PET Canvas Bali

Chapter 2/ Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Vans relies on it's rich history in the skateboarding and surfing culture to stand out against it's competitors. With the company boasting of the origin of the company, "since 1966", it uses it's years of experience and reliablity to sell clothing.

Vans stresses that it knows skateboarding and skateboarders knew of Vans for over 40 years.

For exmaple: The Vans Shop Page - Authentics

Vans celebrates it's products like the Half-Cabs that have become classics over it's history. The Half-Cabs have been a favorite since the early 90's.

Vans also lets it's professional skaters design their own pair of signature shoes so the consumer can know that the shoe was made for "real skateboading." The Half Cabs is Steve Caballero's signature skateboarding shoes.

Vans is a company that takes advantage of it's favortism in punk rock and the music culture. The Vans Warped Tour is a music festival that features bands such as Paramore and Gym Class Heroes. The Company uses the concert to draw fans to the Vans brand.

Chapter 1/ Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

The History Behind Vans

Vans opened its first shop in March 16th, 1966 on 704I Broadway, Anaheim, California. The company was founded by Paul Van Doren and three other partners originally called The Van Doren Rubber Company.

The company first started out making Vans #144 deck shoes, which are now called Authentics. Skateboarders started to trend the shoes into their culture in California. By the end of the decade, Vans had created a number of iconic shoes, and opened up stores nationally and internationally.

In 1982, the company received international attention for the Vans slip-ons worn by Sean Penn in the movie, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Vans had opened it's resources to supporting a number of sports because it wanted to compete against big companies. Unfortunately, the company used too many of its resources and had to file for bankruptcy in 1983.

By 1986, Vans had recovered from it's bankruptcy and sold itself to an investment banking firm in 1988. Vans went on to expand overseas and create new shoe styles. Through the next two decades, Vans creates the iconic Triple Crown event of skateboarding, the Pro-tec Pool Party, Vans Downtown Showdown skateboarding event, it's own skate park at "the Block" in Orange County, CA and The Vans Warped Tour, America's longest running concert series.

Vans today is the world's largest action sports company.

Video by Mojo.com

Vans Mission Statement

Vans makes classic skateboarding and action sports shoes, clothing and apparel for fans all over the world. Since 1966, Vans has been at the center of skateboarding and youth culture. Fanatics and fans alike favor classic shoes such as Half-cab's, Authentic's, Slip-on's and Sk8-Hi's. Vans is home to action sports pro athletes such as Geoff Rowley and Tony Trujullo. Today, Vans is considered the largest action sports clothing company in the world. Find out more at Vans.com

What? A blog about orange?

....No, this is not about a color. The Blog @ Orange is a blog about the process of marketing and how it relates to The Vans Shoes Company. My name is Calvin O'Neal (blog editor) and I hope you enjoy. Thank you.